10 Bottles of Bubbles to Pop Open this Festive Season

10 Bottles of Bubbles to Pop Open this Festive Season

Posted by Eleanor Field on 29 Nov 2020

Christmas is the perfect time to open a bottle of festive bubbles but that doesn’t always mean reaching for the Champagne. Whether it’s a sparkling created using the traditional method, by adding ice wine, or one that champions a native grape, there are many utterly delicious sparkling wines from producers around the world which offer fantastic value and are a fabulous choice for any special occasion.

Read on for some of our favourite bottles to drink this Christmas…

    

Ken Forrester

If Christmas conjures up images of sugar plum fairies and glittering tinsel, then Ken Forrester’s aptly named Sparkle Horse, with its gorgeous carousel label, might be just the bottle you’re looking for. The bubbles inside are pretty delicious, too. Created with the Cap Classique Method (also known as the traditional method) which is used to make Champagne, the wine is aged for 14 months on its lees to develop a creaminess and delicate mousse paired with bright and fresh apple, pear and quince aromas. At under £20 a bottle as part of a case, this wine offers fabulous value festive bubbles that delight the palate, and in a bottle that makes a wonderful addition to the Christmas table.

Pere Ventura

Pere Ventura was established in 1992 but its heritage is one that extends deep into the past. Pere's great-grandfather was responsible for the first ever cava to be made by the traditional method used in Champagne, and his grandfather and father continue to produce exceptional cavas. Ageing is key and takes a minimum of 18 months in the cool Pere Ventura cellars, with some of the cavas rested for as long as three years or more, and Pere Ventura’s Cuveé Classic is an elegantly balanced Cava with fine, frothy bubbles and a vibrant golden hue. Aromas of crunchy green apple and white peach married with hints of lemon balm and toasted brioche on the palate make this an outstanding alternative to Champagne for the festive season and at less than £12 a bottle it’s also fantastic value. We also love Pere Ventura’s Vintage Brut Gran Reserva Cava, offering a luxuriously creamy, lingering and intense palate with rich notes of butterscotch. Delicious!

Peller Family Estates

Searching for an unusual sparkling this Christmas? Look no further. Hailing from Niagara in Canada, Peller Family Estates’s Ice Cuvée Sparkling is made by adding their ice wine (from frozen grapes) at the last stage in the winemaking process, which gives enormous complexity and results in a wine that is a little less dry than Brut Champagne, with hints of yeast, ripe apples, honey, apricot and citrus zest. We love sipping this as an apéritif with a selection of canapes (home-made gyozas make a fantastic pairing!) and its fascinating process makes a refreshing festive ice-breaker, too.

Ruggeri

With a long history of winemaking in the Valdobbiadene region, Ruggeri continues to produce outstanding sparkling wines that are the perfect choice for any special occasion. Their Superiore Valdobbiadene Cartizze Brut is a soft and elegant wine with aromas of fresh pears, white flowers and aromatic herbs with a long and zesty finish. Or for your go-to Christmas Prosecco, choose Argeo Prosecco Brut. Refreshing, crisp and bone dry with citrus, stone fruit and pear flavours, it won a gold medal at the Prosecco Masters 2020, and we are excited to say this also comes in magnum format, perfect for festive get-togethers with family and friends!

Copenhagen Sparkling Tea

Gone are the days when keeping off the booze meant keeping off the bubbles. Ranging from 0% to 5% ABV, Copenghagen’s Sparkling Teas still hit all the festive notes and we love their Organic Sparkling Pink Teawith distinctive flavours of raspberry rose hibiscus creating a crisp and fresh expression. Developed by award-winning sommelier Jacob Kocemba during his time at a Michelin starred restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark, you can tell these are bottles that have been honed with food pairing in mind and they are now sold in over 45 Michelin restaurants worldwide. The ultimate luxury for those choosing low and no, Copenhagen Sparkling Teas are perfect sipped ice-cold from a Champagne glass.

Bolé

There is something particularly Buon Natale about the delightfully colourful label on Bolé’s Bianco Spumante Brut Romagna DOC, which is created with a blend of two of Romagna’s classic grapes: Trebbiano and Sangiovese. Offering notes of jasmine blossom, wild elderflower, green apple and lemon zest, this is a bright and refreshing sparkling wine that makes a fantastic choice for the festive season, whether that be sipped solo, with canapes, or paired with seafood such as king prawns.

Mar de Frades

Founded in 1987, Mar de Frades continues to be one of the most renowned wine producers in Spain, offering captivating wines that celebrate the native Albariño grape. Their Brut Nature was the first sparkling wine to be produced with 100% Albariño grapes and using the traditional méthode champenoise used in Champagne, making a truly unique bottle to pop open this Christmas. With a delightful saline character coming from its fine elegant bubbles, along with notes of toasted bread, lemon and almond, it makes a fabulous pairing with oysters or pan-fried scallops.

Hattingley

A quintessentially English sparkling from the verdant fields of Hampshire, Hattingley was established in 2008 and has swiftly gained a reputation as one of the leading producers of sparkling wine. Their Classic Reserve Brut won a gold medal at the Sommelier Wine Awards 2019 and with “baked apple, creamy nougat and brioche on the nose, supported by hints of toast and fresh red fruit” it makes a fantastic alternative to Champagne this Christmas. Or for the pink enthusiasts, choose their vintage Rosé Brut. A blend of classic Champagne varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, this wine has a beautiful, delicate pink colour with an abundance of red berry fruit aromas. Aged on its lees, it offers strawberries, cream and a little toast on the palate – a wonderfully luxurious choice for Christmas Day.

Delle Vite

Della Vite is a Prosecco from the Delevingne sisters: Chloe, Poppy and Cara. The first joint venture from the three sisters, it was inspired by sharing many of their happiest experiences over a glass of Prosecco, and is made by the Biasiotto family, who have been crafting superior Prosecco for over three generations in the heart of the Valdobbiadene appellation. Della Vite Prosecco Superiore DOCG is rich and extra-dry, the perfect accompaniment to artichoke hearts and Nocellara olives or bresaola and radicchio salad.

De Chanceny

Made using the traditional method used in Champagne, crémant is a fantastic value sparkling wine without the hefty price tag. Founded in 1957, De Chanceny offers fine Loire expressions and we love their Crémant de Loire Brut Nature which won gold at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2020. Rich with notes of peach, pineapple and fragrant white flowers, it makes a wonderful Christmas Eve apéritif paired with smoked salmon and cream cheese blinis.